Norcross Announces $400K Brownfields Grants to Revitalize Camden Neighborhoods, Spur Economic Growth

WASHINGTON, DC – U.S. Congressman Donald Norcross (NJ-01) today announced the City of Camden will receive $400,000 in federal funding to assess, clean up and redevelop properties, while protecting public health and the environment. The funding was made available through the Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) Brownfields Program, which provides funding and assistance to transform blighted sites into assets that can generate jobs and spur economic growth.

“We’re seeing a great Camden revitalization – with more jobs, less crime and better educational opportunities – and this federal funding will help add to that growth,” said Congressman Norcross. “These federal investments will help us continue to improve our city. Every week, the city is opening new businesses, parks and schools. It’s amazing to witness Camden’s historic transformation and it’s an honor to be a part of it.”

The City of Camden will receive two Brownfield grants:

• Kaighn Avenue Site – $200,000

The $200,000 grant will be used to clean up a parcel of property at 726 Kaighn Avenue, a former electroplating facility that ceased operations in 2004. For many years, the property and building have been abandoned. Plans for future redevelopment at this site include an industrial park to bring manufacturing jobs back to the city.

“The US EPA Brownfields Cleanup Grant for 726 Kaighn Avenue, along with re-allocated grant funds from the New Jersey Economic Development Authority, will enable the City of Camden to move forward with the redevelopment of a prime commercial site directly adjacent to Interstate 676 in the Bergen Square Neighborhood,” said Camden Mayor Frank Moran.  “The property has been vacant and a blight on our community for decades, attracting nothing but trash and drug activity. The City jump-started the effort with the demolition of an abandoned, multi-story industrial building. Many thanks to our partners at US EPA and NJEDA for providing the funding necessary to reclaim a valuable community which will ultimately result in economic opportunity for our City.”

• Camden Laboratories Site – $200,000

The $200,000 grant will be used to clean up the Camden Laboratories site at 1667 Davis Street, which has been vacant since 2008. The City of Camden plans to redevelop the site into an extension of the adjoining Whitman Park. This type of development will improve the property values of the neighborhood, add much needed recreation space, and allow for the addition of green storm-water infrastructure.

“The cleanup and redevelopment of the former Camden Laboratories Site is a key component of the City of Camden’s Mt. Ephraim Neighborhood Choice Implement Strategy and the Mt. Ephraim Neighborhood Brownfields Area-Wide Plan,” said Camden Mayor Frank Moran. “The presence of the dilapidated structure has long been an eyesore next to the adjacent Whitman Park recreational fields and a nuisance to the surrounding residential neighborhoods. Utilizing funding from the New Jersey Hazardous Discharge Site Remediation Fund (HDSRF), the City and the Camden Redevelopment Agency plan to demolish the structure. Directly thereafter, using the US EPA Brownfields Cleanup funds and leveraging additional HDSRF funds, we will begin to remediate the property. Once completed, our vision calls for the extension of the recreational fields in order to provide greater usage by the community.”

More Information

• Click here to see the list of Fiscal Year 2018 applicants receiving funding.
• Click here to learn more about the types of grants provided by the Brownfields program.

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